Don’t Eat in Silence

My brother left this morning on a plane back to Hong Kong for a month.😦

Now I’m left to eat alone, which may not necessarily be a good thing. I tend to eat more when I eat in silence, do you? On the other hand, many studies have shown that social settings and television are distractions that cause people to overeat! What works best for you? What do you do to make sure you feel mentally satisfied after you’ve filled your belly?

This is what Self.com’s nutritionist says. I somewhat agree! although many other professionals probably advise against it.

Q: To eat in silence? Or while watching TV? I am trying to get in tune with my internal hunger/fullness and thought eating in silence might be a good idea…

A: No, don’t eat in silence. Eating is a social event and talking while eating can actually help to slow you down so that you will sense your satiety better. If you have nobody to talk to then try listening to music and singing along – I always did this while I cooked before I had Will and now I have to talk to him while I cook to keep him entertained and away from the stove! Watching TV is distracting rather than engaging so this actually should be avoided. You can zone into the TV and not even realize that you cleared your plate. The best thing you can do to get in tune with satiety is give yourself time – at least 20 minutes from the time you started eating – so whatever you can do to slow yourself down will be good! eatlikeme

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The last Meal

Before sending off my brother, I decided to cook lunch for us! Chinese culture is all about potluck style sharing, a lot like family-style Italian eating. Though you may not be able to keep track of exactly how much you’re eating, this way you get to try a greater number of dishes! It’s SOOO much more fun than eating sandwiches, salads, and burritos!

No cooking is correct! We dumped the entire package into a pot of boiling water and the rice came out hot and flavorful. I am definitely a fan of how convenient and well-seasoned the pilaf was. It went perfectly with the dishes, but I probably wouldn’t buy white rice in package even if it’s more convenient. I can cook my own rice for a fraction of the cost!

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Here’s another interesting response from SELF regarding Amazing Grass (that so many of you guys have been guzzling)!

Q: I was wondering if you had heard of the amazing grass line of products and what you thought of them/had tried them before. I have seen their products on a few other blogs lately and they are offering a special on them right now and wanted your input before buying them! People are using them as a sort of protein/veggie substitute and adding them to smoothies. alphagam84A: I wouldn’t recommend investing a lot of money in a product like that. There is no evidence that getting your antioxidants in that form is going to help fight disease long term. You would be better off spending your money on fresh fruit and vegetables because these we know provide you with fiber, antioxidants and other phytonutrients that have been specifically linked with disease protection. If you are really interested in trying it, then adding it to something like a smoothie that is already nutritious would be fine but please do not use it as it is marketed (a substitute for fruit/veggie). eatlikeme

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Some Product Reviews…

Voskos Plain 0% Greek

WF was doing a sale, $3 for 2 8oz cups so I decided to treat myself to some Voskos. Stonyfield Farms used to be the only brand with organic Greek yogurt, but Voskos has recently introduces their organic Greeks too! Check their site out here.First Impression: The surface of the yogurt had little yogurt lumps that didn’t look too appetizing but I’m sure it was safe. I was also excited this was an 8oz cup rather than the regular 6oz.

Flavor: A tad bit of yogurt sourness, but not as tart as many other brands. I would describe the flavor as mild, and it went well mixed with toppings (cereal)!

Texture: Definitely not as thick and smooth as Oikos, but it was nonetheless creamy enough for me. I liked that it wasn’t like eating cream cheese and that mix-in’s were easy to incorporate.

Taste: Having tried Turtle Mountain’s vanilla bean coconut milk ice-cream, I had similar expectations for tempt ice-cream. First bite… BLISS. I’m not saying this for effect, but DANG this is yummy! If you love vanilla, you’ll love this ice-cream. You can definitely taste the hemp seeds that offer an additional dimension of nuttiness and richness in flavor! In addition, this is every bit as dessert-like and indulgent as its full-fat cow milk counterparts but it doesn’t even taste like “healthier” ice-cream.

Texture: The ice-cream itself is smooth, rich, and creamy though it had a freezer burn on the surface when I first opened the lid. This ice-cream also has tiny specks of hemp seed and tiny bits of vanilla bean scattered throughout to give it that added nutty aroma and gritty contrast in texture.

Overall: I say BUY…Unless you don’t like nuttiness or a slightly gritty texture inside ice-cream. This ice-cream is rich in flavor and texture enough so you don’t feel like downing the whole tub (if you’re like me and you eat straight from the pint tub). I also love that it’s so flavorful, vanilla-y, and somehow has this unique earthy flavor from the hemp that I can’t quite put my finger on. PLUS, it’s got NO ANIMAL products in it!! I’m not vegan, but I might as well be if all vegan products taste like this.

Thanks everyone for sharing your fitness tips! Seems like a lot (and a lot) of you guys use water as a hunger tamer!😉 I randomly picked Gina (Candid RD) to get a couple discount coupons for MaraNatha, Arrowhead Mills, and Barbara’s Bakery for sharing a health tip with us!

Gina said, “Best fitness tip?? Keep your workouts varied! You need to trick your body a bit, to keep in shape, and to continue building muscle!

I love Padma from Top Chef, and I love to hear that she gains 10-15 pounds, and is ok with it. Nick and i always take guesses as to how much weight they gain, I think that’s worth eating all of that delicious food! Her weight loss strategies are perfect, and the jump rope is key to success! A simple, yet powerful step.”

Now…back to some comfort snacks! Courtesy of my mom hauled all the way from Hong Kong.🙂

Share your most creative tip for feeling satisfied after eating a filling meal and you could score some coupons too! (Not allowed to use “chew gum” cause that’s my tip! And it never works for me. hahaah)

It’s funny b/c I grew up with the family style meal like you described (I’m Italian). We always had big serving dishes of everything right at the table and it wasn’t unusual to grab 2nds and 3rds. But – at the time I was in ballet classes, dancing for 2-4 hours 3-4 days out of the week!!! Now that I barely exercise (boo!) I realized that eating habit won’t work for me anymore!

I’ve been keeping the pots and pans of food AT the stove and serving our plates there. Then we move to the far end of the island or to the couch to eat at the coffee table. This way it “tricks” us that that is all there is to eat! No 2nds! And you know what? 99% of the time I don’t even miss it! It seems just the visual of that beautiful bowl of ___ made me want to grab 2nds, not my hunger!

Just eat slowly and enjoy the company and you’ll feel full. I always do now, and never want more. When I lived alone I would listen to the radio, or I’d do the same – serve myself at the stove and sit at my kitchen table with the food. Or, I’d serve my dish for that night and a divided storage plate immediately with the leftovers for another night’s dinner so I knew it was already promised to that! hehe

It’s an interesting thing to think about it. I used to think that when i eat alone (not in silence) I eat more because I feel like needing some noise to distract me like TV to not feel lonely. But then once I tried to eat in silence without TV distraction in order to focus on what I’m eating, tasting the food and listen to my body how much food I need, then I feel satisfied with less food, because it’s a conscious eating. Unfortunately I don’t do it often, most of time when I eat alone I tend to eat more. From the other side, when i eat with other people and if the conversation is not good, I tend to over-eat and sometimes I force myself to finish the dish because it’s not good model to not to. I dunno what works best for me, either eat alone or with people, what I know to work the best is to LISTEN TO OUR BODY and stop eating when we feel satisfied!😀

I love how much protein Voskos has, but I agree, there are wayyy better Greek yogurts out there that I would rather spend my money on. I was eyeing that ice cream the other day as well and I think I am going to try it out! Thanks for the review!

You chose my tip?? how exciting!! Well, it’s one of those tips that I have heard a lot, throughout my time in school, and from random magazines and television shows. It really works though, I know from experience.

As for another tip (I know I can’t win again, but I’ll give a tip anyway!!) I like to gargle with Listerine after I eat a large meal, because after you gargle you have to wait 30 minutes before you drink or eat. Plus, the Listerine is so powerful that you really have no desire to eat or drink afterwards anyway. After the thirty minutes I’m usually on to something new. Also, I’ve read and learned from classes that mint flavors suppress the appetite.

I like conversational family meals, but I’ll also eat by myself. I never really thought about the “silence” part.
Your lunch looks delcious, especially that tofu. The ice cream and maple nougat looks so yummy, too.
My tip for feeling satisfied after a meal? Well, if I just feel snacky, I’ll go and brush my teeth. The minty flavor curbs snack cravings, and I don’t want to eat and mess up my clean mouth! Haha.

I don’t really like eating alone either but I don’t notice a difference with how much I eat. Thanks for posting the question about amazing grass. I was tempted to order some online after all the hype about it but now I have a good reason to save $30 bucks!

If I’m not very satisfied after a meal I usually sip on hot tea. I love having a variety of flavors and picking one out. Also I keep a bag of dark chocolate chips in my fridge so I can grab a small hanful to suck on and savor.

I’m always eating on the go, so a lot of times it is in silence. I guess I really don’t like loitering around the table, though. The more I sit there, the more tempted I am to mindlessly graze after I’m full. My best tip is to get moving right after you’re done eating. Load the dishwasher, clean up the kitchen, and then go for a walk! Sometimes just getting away from the food and getting it off your mind is helpful.🙂

After eating a filling meal, I don’t like to eat a whole portion of dessert since that would create a food baby and not to mention food coma😉 so what I do is take a small rich piece of chocolate or candy and suck on that for a while. Another thing I do is drink kombucha or other sweet tea. These two things often satisfies my sweet tooth!

I love family style eating too! As a foodie, I want to taste everything (well, almost!) and this way you don’t look over at the person next to you, wishing that’s what you got! The food is looking good, Michelle, mmm!

Voscos Greek yogurt sounds perfect for me since I don’t like my Greek yogurts too tart or thick (but I like Greek yogurt!). I tried that Hemp ice cream too, and agree that it is delish! Love the specs of vanilla🙂

I always eat in front of my computer…in face, I’m eating while I comment right now. It actually helps me slow down and enjoy my food more!
Korean culture is like that, too, sharing! I like that…it feels more intimate that way!

i definitely think i eat more when alone! especially when i am just bumming around the apt, i ALWAYS end up snacking on random things. that was so sweet of u to make a nice big meal for your bro before he left for hong kong…i love eating potluck style myself!

Interesting comment from Self on the Amazing Grass trend. I don’t think I’ll be spending the money on it any time soon, I much prefer to eat my fruits and veggies rather than drinking them from a powder mix, but hey thats just me!
That food you cooked for your brother looked delish!

I don’t ever eat in front of the tv anymore…I don’t have cable! 😦 Not having cable s-u-c-k-s, but I truly feel like it’s better for me not to eat while watching television. I just keep going, and going, and going….it’s no good!